


Love Travels

by Quickspinner



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, Ficlet, Luka Couffaine Loves Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka supports Marinette, No specific events mentioned, Salt, TV Special: Miraculous World: New York, but still warning for spoilers, therapy fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:53:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26850988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quickspinner/pseuds/Quickspinner
Summary: Luka gets a late night call from New York, and he's determined to be there for Marinette, even though he's an ocean away.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 13
Kudos: 197





	Love Travels

**Author's Note:**

  * For [semi_slaughtomatic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/semi_slaughtomatic/gifts).



> So...this was supposed to be part of the Here for You collection with the prompt requested by semi-slaughtomatic, “I can’t stop thinking about you,” but apparently I wasn’t in the right mood when I sat down to write it and it didn’t...hmm. Didn’t come out true to the intentions of the collection? I debated whether to put it up at all, but I do kind of like it for what it is, so I’m posting this separately and I’ll take another run at the prompt for the collection later.
> 
> The title is a reference to the song "Love Travels" by Kathy Mattea

Luka woke at once when his phone rang. He’d been weirdly on high alert since he’d dropped Marinette off at the bus, and as he fumbled for his phone and noted the time, he was unsurprised to see who was calling him. Juleka and Marinette were pretty much the only ones who  _ could _ call at 3 am and get through, as well as being the only ones who  _ would _ .

“Hey,” he said roughly, and then cleared his throat. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Marinette said, voice hushed. It was after curfew there he was sure, so she was probably wedged into some hiding place, trying not to be heard. “I mean, no, but I’m not hurt or in danger or anything. Just...just…”

“I got you,” Luka grunted, relaxing a little as he flopped back on the bed. “I’m glad you’re okay. I saw the news but Jules said everything was okay, so...” So he had resisted checking on Marinette, not wanting to fuss over her, but maybe that was a mistake. 

“Yeah, it’s...I’m not calling about anything like that. I just...God, Luka, I’m so sorry for waking you up but—” Marinette’s suddenly tight voice and the hitch in her breath had him sitting up in bed, gripping the blankets tightly with one hand. “I just...It’s been really hard and I can’t stop thinking about you and—and wishing you were here. Because—” Her breath hitched, and she finished in a rush, “Because only thing I’m clear on, is that you always make me feel better. Sometimes it feels like you’re the only person I can talk to without feeling worse afterwards and I just...I really miss you right now.” 

That made him feel proud but it also broke his heart. “I’m happy I can be that for you,” he said, swallowing hard. “But I’m sorry the people who should be there for you aren’t.” 

There was silence between them for a moment. Silence where he could hear her sniffling. It hurt. Luka pressed his hand over his heart like he could stop the wound bleeding as he listened to her cry. 

“Do you want to tell me about it?” he asked softly, when the silence had dragged on too long.

“I can’t,” she choked out. “I...I want to, but...it was so much and—”

“Okay,” he said quickly. “It’s okay. Um...do you want me to talk?” 

“Yes,” Marinette gasped. “Yes please.” 

“Okay,” Luka shifted on his bed, getting comfortable as he leaned against the wall. “Um. It’s been weird, the past few days, without Juleka’s snoring.”

That got him a watery giggle, and he smiled. “I went on a delivery this afternoon, and when I got there the couple I was delivering to was having a huge fight. Super awkward. And I’m standing there with their pizza the whole time and they’re just going at it, and finally the girl jerked the guy’s wallet out of his hand, literally threw some money at me, and slammed the door with her boyfriend still outside of it.” 

“Oh no,” Marinette gasped, sounding a little steadier. “What did you do?”

“I picked up all the bills I could find off the street and then I got out of there as fast as I could. The guy was still yelling for her to open the door and begging her to talk to him. She was throwing his clothes out of an upper window when I left.” 

Marinette gasped and laughed, quickly muffling the sound, and Luka smiled. He told her every funny or cheerful thing he could think of for the next hour, and gradually the sniffles stopped and the wet sound to her voice went away, and she grew more engaged in the conversation. Luka lied when she asked him if he’d been sore after biking her to the bus, and teased her about making sure she was awake in time to catch the bus home because he couldn’t very well fly to New York to catch her up. She pouted and acted offended, but the warmth in her voice relaxed some of the tightness in his chest, and his worry for her eased as her cheerfulness increased. 

“So,” Luka said cautiously, “One more day in New York. Anything left on your bucket list?”

Marinette groaned. “No. I’m done with New York. I just want to come home, Luka.” Luka smiled, but Marinette added pensively, “It’s too much. I don’t think I’m ready for New York.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Luka told her. “You’ve got plenty of time, Marinette.” 

“Will I see you?” Marinette asked abruptly. “When I get home?”

Luka blinked for a moment. “Of course. Whenever you want.” 

“I meant like...right away. Are you coming? To—to pick up Juleka?” 

Luka had to process that for a moment before he could answer. “I wasn’t,” he said finally. “But I can pick you up if you like. ” 

“I think I would,” Marinette sighed. “If...if you don’t mind. It’s just I know Papa and Maman are going to want to hear about everything, and...I just don’t think I can...but you won’t make me talk, and I just...I mean, we can  _ talk _ but you don’t care about what, so it’s—”

“I’d love to pick you up,” Luka broke in, “And talk or not talk or whatever you want. I—” He paused and swallowed, caught off guard by the intensity of his feelings, by how badly he wanted to make things better for her. “Whatever makes you happy,” he finished at last. 

“It would make me happy to see you,” she said softly, and his stomach flipped over. 

“Then I’ll be there,” he said. 

* * *

He actually was a couple of minutes late, or the bus was a bit early, because the students were all milling around outside of it. Marinette was standing with her pink suitcase, a slightly too-wide smile on her face as she spoke to her parents. He pulled up and put one foot down, hesitating over whether he should go to her or wait, but Marinette saw him and waved. 

She gave her suitcase to her father, gave each of her parents a quick hug, and then  _ flew  _ to Luka, throwing herself into him. He caught her gladly and wrapped her up close as she burrowed into his shoulder. He held her for a moment while she just breathed against him, and he could feel some of the tenseness in her body ease as he held her. 

“Your classmates are going to think we’re dating,” he teased, but Marinette just shook her head without lifting her face. 

“They’re going to think what they think no matter what,” she said bitterly. “It’s not like they ever listen to me anyway.” 

“Let’s get out of here, then,” Luka said into her hair, resisting the urge to glare at her friends. He offered her the pink helmet he kept just for her, enjoying the way she lit up at the sight of it. It was such a little thing to bring her so much joy. He’d never regretted buying it, even though Juleka teased him mercilessly. 

Marinette put the helmet on and got on the back of the bike without looking back at any of her friends. Her arms settled comfortably around Luka’s waist. “Ready when you are.” 

Luka patted her hand, then kicked off and pedaled away, waving briefly to Juleka, but otherwise paying no mind to the crowd they were leaving behind. 


End file.
